Teacher furloughs among Volusia's cost-saving plans

Published: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 4:46 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 10:46 p.m.

DELAND — Teachers and other Volusia school employees may soon face unpaid furloughs, but the days off wouldn't be scheduled when students are in class.

That's one of several possible cost-saving measures that emerged Tuesday as the Volusia County School Board began a series of workshops to address a $33 million budget deficit blamed on funding reductions and rising operating costs.

Superintendent Margaret Smith said repeatedly at Tuesday's three-hour meeting she wants to shield instructional programs and student activities from more budget cuts as much as possible while bringing the district back into compliance with constitutional limits on class size.

"It is our intent not to have to reduce at the school level," Smith said, although she provided a list of potential school-level changes that include charging athletes more to play sports starting in August if that step is needed.

One of Smith's early recommendations calls for restoring 126 teaching jobs eliminated in recent years to save money. She said their elimination interfered with student achievement and helped pull the district's state rating down from A to C.

"We're trying to make the district whole again by putting into place teachers needed to provide services that are required," said Deputy Superintendent Robert Moll.

All of that depends on a complex mix of factors, including how much money state lawmakers approve for Volusia schools in their annual session that begins next week and where costs can be cut elsewhere in the budget.

The School Board has already cut $80 million and 1,900 jobs since 2007 because of state funding reductions, decreased tax collections and declining enrollment.

Against that backdrop and November's defeat of a school property tax that would have generated $26 million annually for four years, the School Board began mapping its financial plans Tuesday for the year that will start July 1.

Gov. Rick Scott has proposed a $1.2 billion increase in school funding, but the final decision rests with lawmakers. Smith has said the governor's plan, if approved, would produce only about $5 million that could be applied to the deficit because so much of the money is earmarked for other things, including teachers' raises.

Without knowing how much lawmakers will approve, school officials are projecting a $33 million shortfall. That includes $11 million in revenue reductions from the expiration of a property tax in place the last four years, continuing enrollment decline and the need to reduce by $2 million a capital budget transfer for maintenance costs.

Adding to the deficit is the need to hire 123 extra teachers to meet state class-size requirements; the plan to restore the 126 teaching jobs cut earlier; and increased costs for employee health insurance and retirement. Those factors add up to $22 million, Moll reported.

Besides the suggested employee furloughs, Smith listed additional central office reductions, the outsourcing of custodial jobs the board approved earlier this month and a plan to dip into school district reserves as ways to plug the budget hole.

Her list of school-level suggestions, if needed, includes charging athletes $100 to play a single sport or $125 to play multiple sports. That's an increase of $25 in each category of the pay-to-play fee the board approved a few years ago.

Other school-level cuts could include reductions in substitute teachers and a 10 percent cut in supplements paid to teachers to coach sports or sponsor clubs. A reduction or elimination of student competitions such as science fairs also is on the list along with requiring more principals to run two schools instead of one. Five sets of elementary schools now share principals.

The budget workshops will continue March 12 with presentations by department heads on where money could be saved at the district level.

<p>DELAND &mdash; Teachers and other Volusia school employees may soon face unpaid furloughs, but the days off wouldn't be scheduled when students are in class. </p><p>That's one of several possible cost-saving measures that emerged Tuesday as the Volusia County School Board began a series of workshops to address a $33 million budget deficit blamed on funding reductions and rising operating costs. </p><p>Superintendent Margaret Smith said repeatedly at Tuesday's three-hour meeting she wants to shield instructional programs and student activities from more budget cuts as much as possible while bringing the district back into compliance with constitutional limits on class size. </p><p>"It is our intent not to have to reduce at the school level," Smith said, although she provided a list of potential school-level changes that include charging athletes more to play sports starting in August if that step is needed. </p><p>One of Smith's early recommendations calls for restoring 126 teaching jobs eliminated in recent years to save money. She said their elimination interfered with student achievement and helped pull the district's state rating down from A to C. </p><p>"We're trying to make the district whole again by putting into place teachers needed to provide services that are required," said Deputy Superintendent Robert Moll. </p><p>All of that depends on a complex mix of factors, including how much money state lawmakers approve for Volusia schools in their annual session that begins next week and where costs can be cut elsewhere in the budget. </p><p>The School Board has already cut $80 million and 1,900 jobs since 2007 because of state funding reductions, decreased tax collections and declining enrollment. </p><p>Against that backdrop and November's defeat of a school property tax that would have generated $26 million annually for four years, the School Board began mapping its financial plans Tuesday for the year that will start July 1. </p><p>Gov. Rick Scott has proposed a $1.2 billion increase in school funding, but the final decision rests with lawmakers. Smith has said the governor's plan, if approved, would produce only about $5 million that could be applied to the deficit because so much of the money is earmarked for other things, including teachers' raises. </p><p>Without knowing how much lawmakers will approve, school officials are projecting a $33 million shortfall. That includes $11 million in revenue reductions from the expiration of a property tax in place the last four years, continuing enrollment decline and the need to reduce by $2 million a capital budget transfer for maintenance costs. </p><p>Adding to the deficit is the need to hire 123 extra teachers to meet state class-size requirements; the plan to restore the 126 teaching jobs cut earlier; and increased costs for employee health insurance and retirement. Those factors add up to $22 million, Moll reported. </p><p>Besides the suggested employee furloughs, Smith listed additional central office reductions, the outsourcing of custodial jobs the board approved earlier this month and a plan to dip into school district reserves as ways to plug the budget hole. </p><p>Her list of school-level suggestions, if needed, includes charging athletes $100 to play a single sport or $125 to play multiple sports. That's an increase of $25 in each category of the pay-to-play fee the board approved a few years ago. </p><p>Other school-level cuts could include reductions in substitute teachers and a 10 percent cut in supplements paid to teachers to coach sports or sponsor clubs. A reduction or elimination of student competitions such as science fairs also is on the list along with requiring more principals to run two schools instead of one. Five sets of elementary schools now share principals. </p><p>The budget workshops will continue March 12 with presentations by department heads on where money could be saved at the district level.</p>